The Way It Should Be
by ipreferwestside
Summary: Kate craned her neck so she could brush her lips against his. "Nothing," she lied, but when he just lifted a brow she shrugged. "Just that...you're my hus-band," she sing-songed with a grin. A season 7 one shot. Canon-compliant. COMPLETE.


**THE WAY IT SHOULD BE  
SET BETWEEN 7x10-7x11**

* * *

 _And I see colors in a different way  
_ _You make what doesn't matter fade to grey  
_ _Life is good and that's the way it should be_

Bright - Echosmith

* * *

"Finally," Kate teased as the town car pulled to a stop in front of the precinct, chuckling at the noise of annoyance from the other end of the call. She hung up when the door opened and Rick jumped out. She let him take her bag - blessedly empty of any case files - and climbed in the backseat, looping her arm through his when he followed. "You were supposed to be here half an hour ago," she said with a squeeze of his bicep and kiss to his cheek.

Rick made the noise again, accompanied by a glare, but it didn't have any fire behind it. " _Some_ of us had to finish packing," he chided her gently, covering her hand with his, his thumb swiping over her knuckles.

"Well, if you'd packed last night like I told you to…"

"Well, if _someone_ hadn't kept distracting me with her bikini fashion show…"

Kate chuckled and knocked her temple against his shoulder, smiling into the soft cotton of his hoodie when he pressed his lips to the top of her head. "I just wanted to make sure they all fit," she said, but she felt his smile against her hairline.

"They all fit," he murmured into her skin, "but if you were that worried, you should have left them at home."

Kate barked out a laugh. While she didn't know _exactly_ where they were going on their delayed-honeymoon island getaway, she doubted that it was a nudist colony. As much as they enjoyed spending those rare days when the loft was empty with minimal clothing, she most definitely didn't want anyone else ogling her husband.

 _Her husband_.

She tried to stifle her giggle, but he leaned back and looked at her, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"What?"

Kate craned her neck so she could brush her lips against his. "Nothing," she lied, but when he just lifted a brow she shrugged. "Just that...you're my _hus-band_ ," she sing-songed with a grin.

Rick smirked. "I have been for a couple months now, or did you miss something?" he teased.

She pinched his arm. "Very funny." They sat in silence for awhile, Kate watching the familiar sight of Manhattan pass by as they left the city, towards JFK. "I can't wait to go to…" she said as they passed into Queens, but by the sound of Rick's non-committal hum, she didn't trick him into divulging their destination like she'd hoped.

"Not gonna get it out of me, Kate," he said, the hand on top of hers tightening. "Although, if you'd like to use a different strategy, I'm willing to let you try."

Kate quirked an eyebrow and slid her arm out from his, shifted so she was facing him. "Challenge accepted." She pressed her lips to his pulse, smiling when she felt it quicken beneath her mouth, and slid her hand up his thigh. She let it drift higher and higher, until he gripped her fingers and laced them through his.

"You do that," he warned, "and we'll miss our flight."

Kate hummed against the underside of his jaw, drifted her lips along his day-old stubble until she nipped at his earlobe. "You can't handle a little making out?" she purred in his ear, and when he gripped his thigh and tugged her onto his lap, she yelped and giggled.

"Oh, I can," Rick growled, his hands gripping her hips. "I can definitely handle some making out." He snuck one hand under her shirt, grinning at her moan when she straddled his leg and rolled her hips.

Kate cupped his face in her hands and met his mouth with hers, playing with the soft hairs at his nape as she poured her love into the stroke of her tongue. She gasped when he brushed his thumb over her breast, tweaking her nipple through her bra. "Castle," she breathed, "off."

"Thought we were just making out," he mumbled against her skin as he trailed his lips down the long column of her neck, but when she just grunted and brushed her hand against him, he jerked. "I don't think we have time."

"We can make time."

He curled his fingers at the back of her neck, holding her in place as his tongue swept into the welcoming cavern of her mouth, but when the car pulled to a stop and the driver got out he groaned. "No we can't."

Kate groaned and climbed off his lap, ran her fingers through her hair before tying it back. "I'll help Ernie with the bags," she said, giving him a kiss and nodding towards his lap. "Give you a minute to calm down."

* * *

"Oh my God, Castle, this is amazing," Kate breathed when they walked into their private bungalow, suspended partially over the clear blue waters of the south Pacific. The king-sized bed in the middle of the main room looked out over the water, sliding doors pushed aside to allow a gentle breeze to waft through the suite.

Rick dropped his backpack to the floor, handed the bellboy a generous tip for helping with their suitcases. "Only the best for you, my love," he rumbled, palming her hips and tugging her back into him. "Plus we were _way_ overdue to make up for the canceled Bora Bora trip."

"A year and a half later?" she teased, knocking her forehead against his temple. "I'd say."

"What do you say we celebrate our arrival by testing the bed?" Rick mumbled against her neck, punctuating with a nip at her earlobe.

"Hmm, maybe later. I need a shower." Kate craned her neck so she could press a kiss to his jaw, then wrinkled her nose. "So do you, babe."

Rick sniffed his shirt and grimaced. "Yeah, twenty-plus hours of travel does no favors for hygiene," he joked. He grabbed her hand when she stepped away and pulled her back into him, laced his fingers at her back. "Wanna shower together? Fool around?"

Kate chuckled and drew him in for a slow kiss, catching his moan with the stroke of her tongue. He looked dazed when she pulled away, and she brushed her lips against his once more before stepping out of his arms. "You shower. I'll unpack."

By the time he emerged from the bathroom she was almost unpacked, and she glanced up when she heard the gentle slap of his footsteps across the floor. "Better?" she asked with a grin, her eyes flicking to the towel slung low on his waist, the drops of water still clinging to his broad chest.

Rick trailed his hand along her lower back, reached down to palm her ass as he leaned in for a kiss. "Much," he murmured against her mouth. "I'll finish this if you want your turn?"

"Thanks, babe. I'll be quick."

The interior of the suite was empty when she was done, and she unwrapped the towel from her head, squeezed the excess water from her hair as her eyes swept for Rick. She grinned when she spotted him, the top of his head the only thing visible as he lay on a lounger on the covered patio outside. She slipped on a swimsuit and grabbed a spare towel and sunscreen before stepping outside.

He was wearing sunglasses so she couldn't see his eyes, but he didn't move when she sat on the lounger next to him, so she knew he was asleep. It was early afternoon, and although she didn't want them both to suffer from too much jet lag, they were both exhausted from the travel. So she dropped the towel to the floor and stretched out in the lounger, allowed herself to fall asleep to the steady sounds of her husband's breathing and the gentle lap of the water below.

* * *

She woke to the faint sound of Rick's voice and a click of a door. Craning her neck, she smiled when she spotted him walking back towards her, a plate of fruit in one hand and bottle of champagne in the other. His face lit up when he spotted her, and he bent down to press a kiss to the crown of her head when he reached her.

"What time is it?" she asked, her eyes following as he put the plate and bottle on the end table between them and sat on his lounger.

Rick grabbed a piece of mango. "A little after three," he said around the bite. "You want to do something this afternoon? We can get snorkel gear from the front desk."

"Not today," she said, stretching her arms over her head, arching her back and groaning when she felt her vertebrae pop. "Let's stay in and-what?" She looked over at Rick and saw him staring at her, his eyes dark, mouth slightly parted.

Rick moved to kneel over her, dipped his head to take her mouth with his.

Kate moaned and looped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to press her into the chair. "Rick-" she gasped as he trailed his lips down the long column of her throat. "Please-"

Rick lifted his head and gazed at her, his gaze almost dangerous. "Please what?"

Kate glared at him. "Shut up and take off my clothes."

* * *

"You better have a good reason for waking me up at the godforsaken hour," Kate grumbled a few days later, glaring at the grin on her husband's face when he handed her coffee. "We're on vacation."

Rick chuckled, pressed his smile to her pout and stepped around her to grab his duffel bag. "I should be the one complaining," he teased with a glance over his shoulder. "You're the one who insisted on staying up all night."

Kate let out a low hum, her body aching with the reminder of the previous night's activities. They'd stayed out late on the loungers, staring at the stars, her body curled around his, his arms tight around her. When she'd started to drift off she'd stood, not wanting to sleep quite yet, and she and Rick had spent most of the night exploring each other's bodies.

"What are we doing today, anyways?" she asked, eyeing the contents of the bag. Towels, sunscreen, snacks, water. And it was still dark outside. _What do you have in store for me?_

Rick just smirked. "You'll find out. Go shower, I'm almost done. You'll want to put on a swimsuit," he added, grabbing her hand as she passed him. "Preferably your skimpiest one," he growled with a nip at her ear.

Kate giggled and stepped out of his grasp. "As if you have to ask."

Two hours later, as she and Castle sat on a secluded beach, watching the sunrise, she wondered how she could have pushed him away so many times. She couldn't imagine her life without him, without the joy and laughter he'd brought into her life, and she shifted between the vee of his legs, to loop her arms around his shoulders and nuzzle her nose into his neck.

Rick leaned his head back and cupped her jaw, his thumb brushing the slash of her cheekbone. "You okay?" he asked in a low voice.

She smiled and mirrored his gesture, traced her fingers along the corner of his eye, the laugh lines that crinkled when he smiled. "I'm in paradise with the love of my life," she whispered, brushing a kiss to his mouth. "I'm perfect."

* * *

She woke first on their last day, but instead of getting up and ready for the day like she would at home, she propped herself on an elbow so she could watch him sleep. He was sprawled on his back, the same exact position he'd fallen asleep after collapsing at her side, skin slicked with sweat.

She smiled as her eyes traced the length of his body, from his sun-kissed shoulders and broad chest to the taper of his waist, his sheet-covered hips and more. A glance outside gave her the beginnings of the sunrise, the sky lightening, and she sifted her hands through his hair, pressed her lips to his forehead.

"Rick," she whispered, brushing her lips along his skin, smiling against his cheek when she felt him stir. "Hey," she said when his eyes opened, the stormy blue brightening when they met hers.

His lips quirked. "Hi." He looked beyond her shoulder and squinted. "It's still dark, why are you awake?"

Kate sat up and tugged at his hand. "I want to watch the sunrise with you."

Rick groaned, but he followed her out of bed, slipping on his swim trunks and meeting her on the patio. He sat on a lounger and held his hand out, grinning when she joined him, nestled back against his chest.

They sat in silence as they watched the clouds turn gold, as the sun appeared over the horizon. The sky and clouds reflected in the still water, water so calm it looked like glass, and Kate longed to dive in, to have one more swim in the warm ocean before they had to leave for the cold winter weather of home.

"What's wrong?" Kate asked when Rick shifted behind her, but when she leaned forward to give him room, he wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her back into him.

"Nothing," he rumbled in her ear, propping his head on her shoulder. "I don't want to leave."

"Hmm, me neither," Kate hummed. She twisted her neck so she could meet his mouth with hers, and she moaned at the swipe of his tongue against hers. She pulled away before they could go any farther, and settled back into his arms, watched the sun continue its ascent in the sky.

"Want to go for one more swim?" Rick asked after a long silence.

Kate smiled and stood, pulled Rick up with her. "You read my mind."

They packed in relative silence after their swim - and subsequent shower together - and by the time they checked out and went to the airport, they were both exhausted. Once their flight was in the air, Kate looped her arm through his, dropped her head to his shoulder, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks as always go to Callie, hey look you titled a thing! Any mistakes are mine. Cover photo not mine, I snagged it from this post, bunysliper dot tumblr dot com slash post slash 159550138231._


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